Birding in Costa Rica - Part 4

08 January, 2025

Savegre Hotel - Los Cusingos Neotropical Bird Sanctuary - Las Cruces Biological Station 

     We had a half hour to meander before breakfast - time to renew our acquaintance with old friends before leaving.

     Chief among these was the ever-cheery ambassador of goodwill, Rufous-collared Sparrow (Zonotrichia capensis).

     Rufous-tailed Hummingbird (Amazilia tzacatl) was not hard to find either.

     And what would a morning in Costa Rica be without a Clay-coloured Thrush (Turdus grayi)?

       A Wilson's Warbler (Cardellina pusilla) showed only his back, looking quite devout wearing his yarmulke!

   

      Stripe-tailed Hummingbird (Eupherusa eximia) was its customary dapper, handsome self.

 

     Breakfast, as usual comprised more items than one could count on the fingers and toes of three people, and everyone took on calories for the journey.

     We left Savegre feeling well satisfied with our stay there and took the open road to Los Cusingos.

     The Los Cusingos Neotropical Bird Sanctuary is the former home of the legendary field ornithologist, Dr. Alexander Skutch, long a figure of deep admiration, and lauded by Costa Rica, his adopted country, for the mark he left on the international scientific community, all the while enhancing the stature of Costa Rica on the world stage.

     Here is my collection of highly cherished and oft referenced Skutch books - more still to come, I hope!

     Even for those not familiar with Skutch, I highly recommend this tribute to him, tastefully edited by Hunter Lewis, with a touching foreword by Dana Gardner, a long-time associate and collaborator of Alexander Skutch.

     He was a giant. The world will not soon see his like again.

     A Golden-hooded Tanager (Stilpnia larvata) came to greet us.

     Dr. Skutch would have been pleased. 

     The range of insects was impressive, as might be expected, but much remains unknown about the lifestyles of many of them, and identification presented its challenges.

     The following moth is found in the tribe Hemileucini and that's about all that I can tell you. My library does not contain much on neotropical moths and a search of the internet revealed little.

     Carpenter Ants are liberally distributed through wooded environments and often go about their business unnoticed - until the wood they burrow into is part of your home, that is! This individual goes by the enchanting name, Shimmering Sugar Ant (Componotus sericeiventris), so named for its love of sugary secretions.

     I am pretty sure the beetle below is placed in the genus Aegomorphus. Beyond that, I have nothing to tell you!

     There is both enjoyment and frustration in seeking out information on these organisms, but I suspect that little funding is available for entomological research, hence the dearth of knowledge.  If only we could have a Super Bowl of beetles! Then the money would flow in.

    Carlos, our erudite and affable guide was holding forth on something or other. 

     His knowledge about many subjects was expansive and we always appreciated hearing from him.

     The genus Anolis is the largest reptile genus in the world, and there are lots of brown or brownish anoles. This one of them, but I am not sure of the species.

    Walking Palm (Socratea exhorrhiza) engenders eternal fascination, and more than one explanation. 

     The function of stilt roots is still debated, but the net result is that the palm continues to grow but moves away from the original point of germination.

     Its defenses are impressive.

     There was no shortage of bracket fungi (family Polyporaceae), thriving in the moisture laden recesses of the forest.

     We followed a pair of White-crowned Parrots (Pionus senilis) but we were never able to get a good picture.

     The flower of Sore-mouth Bush (Palicourea tomentosal) is very dramatic.

     Do you think that Carlos is training for his new career as a drag queen?

     A Rufous-tailed Hummingbird skipped from flower to flower feeding on sweet nectar.

     I am not sure whether this is a fungus or some form of lichen. 

     The genus Miconia is very attractive; this specimen is probably Miconia calvescens.

     Beware of introducing it to your garden, however. It is aggressively invasive and difficult to eliminate once established.

     Many more species of fungi were seen.

     Tropical forests are filled with wonder, and to watch Atta Leaf-cutter Ants (genus Atta) going about their business is arguably the pinnacle of fascination.

     An ancient tree, buttressed and moss-covered evokes curiosity and appreciation from above and below.

     Tina, as was so often the case, relished the tactile experience as much as the visual.

     Here is the shelter of Tent-making Bats (Uroderma bilobatum).

     I can't tell you whether they were at home; we deliberately avoided disturbing them.

     It was exceptionally interesting to happen upon a type of tropical basidiolichen in the genus Dictyonema.

     Unlike "conventional" lichens it contains a photosynthetic cyanobacterium instead of green algae.

     A Spot-crowned Euphonia (Euphonia imitans) played hide-and-seek with us, finally permitting a reasonable picture.

      The flowering part of True Ginger (genus Zingiber) is very striking.

     Rain had been spitting on an off all morning and finally we had a bit of a deluge.

     It was time to leave anyway!

     On the way to San Vito we stopped for lunch at a fine looking restaurant, scanned the menu and ordered our meals.

     Little did we imagine that it would take over an hour for the food to be served! As far as we could tell the sole server on duty also helped in the kitchen.

     Some of us got restless and wandered around doing a little birding, until finally food was on its way, and we hastened back to our table.

     We arrived at Las Cruces Biological Station at 17h:45 and were directed to go for dinner right away.

When last I stayed there it was served family style, with the food placed on the table. Times have changed. We lined up and were handed a plate already made up containing fish, rice and beans, vegetable and salad - no options. It was okay, but certainly not on our list of memorable meals! There were many students to serve, more than I have ever seen there before, and this perhaps necessitated the change in procedure.

     Nothing could diminish our pleasure, however, at being back at Las Cruces. 

     Our room contained three beds, obviously designed to accommodate three students, with three towels, three blankets.....three of everything!

     It was all perfectly comfortable and we would have all that we needed to make our stay enjoyable.

     The deck was inviting, and the sounds of the forest were intriguing.

     We were a little tired, however, and a shower and relaxation beckoned us back indoors.

     After all, tomorrow is another day!